The owners of this garden in a rural area near Utrecht had just renovated their house and subsequently turned their attention to the garden. Among other things, their desire was to install a natural swimming pond as the centre piece of an agreeable family garden.
The swimming pond lies in the heart of the garden and is located in a transverse axis when viewed from the house. This creates a direct link between the pond and the house and ensures that one can jump into the pond from the terrace. To ensure complete privacy, the garden has been fenced off through the use of diverse shrubs. This has the additional effect that it eliminated the garden’s slant angles. Tall staggered yews provide privacy in the front of the garden. At the location of the atelier, a small formal garden marks the transition to an orchard. A transverse pergola creates the effect of a visual and at the same time transparent separation.
Water in the swimming pond is naturally filtered by a helophyte filter; a low-rise swamp area overgrown with cane and oxygen plants. The shaped plane trees surrounding the pond provide shade in summer. The pergola is overgrown with a variety of climbers like chocolate vine (Akebia quinata), rambler (Rosa ‘Albertine’) and a pink blooming wisteria (Wisteria floribunda ‘Rosea’). The shrubs used at the outer edges of the garden are native species like hawthorns and holly. Selection of the shrubs located within the garden has been based on the attractiveness of the blooming and the scent. This resulted in the planting of species like deutzia (Deutzia x rosea ‘Campanulata’), lilac (Syringa vulgaris ‘Belle de Nancy’) and a mock orange (Philadelphus Lemoinei).
Client: Private
Project type: Garden Design